Brute compressor blowing Oil with Very Few Hours

by Rob
(RI)

I have a Brute 15-gallon model that's about 8 years old. However I use it only to work on my car, inflate tires, and blow out my lawn sprinkler system. I change the oil annually to keep condensation and metal particles to a minimum. In total I estimate that the motor gets about 1-2 hours of run time per year. (not very much). So I would say that at this point the motor has about 12 hours on it. Recently I noticed that the air coming out smelled like gear oil, and my oil/water separator is turning yellow. Clearly there is oil getting into the tank. I just find it hard to believe that the rings would have failed after so few hours. Could this be due to a stuck intake reed? Is it worth my time to troubleshoot this or is this just typical of an inexpensive, imported compressor?

Comments for Brute compressor blowing Oil with Very Few Hours

Again. I don't know what your machine looks like, but I put my regulator(s) after the o/w separator.That way most of whatever oil there is gets trapped before it can muck up the reg.But you may not be able to safely do that depending on what the pressure rating on your o/w separator and the pressure at the tank outlet.

Dec 29, 2014

Re: Oil/water separatorby: Rob

I have the separator between the tank outlet and the hose. It's just a cheap one with the stone in it from Harbor Freight. I actually took the head and cylinder off tonight. The intake reed seemed fine but the exhaust port was coated with a fine layer of tacky oil. No scoring noted on the piston, wrist pin, connecting rod, or rod journal. I re-assembled it and torqued everything down. I did note that the main fittings between the pump and the tank were loose. I tightened the heck out of them and now the unit is quieter and seems to fill faster. No leaks noted but the air still smells like gear oil. Drained the tank and only water came out. I guess as long as I run an in-line separator and keep the sump full I should be ok as long as the consumption doesn't get ridiculous.

Dec 29, 2014

oil/water separator is turning yellowby: Doug in s.d.ca

It's not uncommon to have SOME oil get in the tank - but is it getting as far as the hose outlet?

It's also not clear what/where this oil/water separator is, not knowing the model.

Unless there is some other change in performance or sound, I'd say you just finally got it broken in, and wouldn't worry about it.